Chapter 211 Protector General
As night fell, there was a bonfire in the camp, and the soldiers were divided into groups, each guarding a stove and cooking the game ingredients they had hunted during the day.
The milky white soup is boiling and boiling, sprinkled with a handful of salt, and the wild polygonum washed with water from the field are eaten locally, as well as a large bowl of meat and bone broth. Although the taste is not very good, But it is also full of flavor, and most of the fatigue from running around all day disappears at this moment.
A whole day's hunting was more than enough to feed the more than 3,000 people in the camp.
The heat of midsummer means that food cannot be stored. There are special camp soldiers and cooks to handle the remaining prey. The furry hides are steamed and dried before being sent back to the base camp for further processing. The meat is cut into thin strips or large pieces and smoked with pine smoke. Smoke it to dry out the water and make dried meat.
Some ingredients with good meat quality need to be processed more carefully, and some seasoning spices are added to make meat floss that is easier to store and has a richer texture and flavor.
This is a very novel and unique way of eating nowadays. The meat floss produced cannot yet be supplied to the military, but must be trafficked to the lower reaches of Luoshui River for sale.
The powerful families and officials there are very popular for it. The exquisitely made meat floss can often be sold for dozens of times the price of ordinary dried meat. Since the beginning of summer, it has become one of the pillar industries in northern Shaanxi, and in exchange for a large number of Shaanxi meat floss, Supplies that Beijing cannot produce on its own but urgently needs.
After several urgings from Li Mu, Li Tai finished writing the letter and walked out of his small tent.
The aroma of meat from the camp was so refreshing that Li Tai couldn't help but twitch his index finger. He also remembered that Li Mu had confidently expressed that he would use the tiger to cook a delicious meal for him during the day, and he was looking forward to it.
As soon as he walked out of the camp, Li Mu eagerly pulled him to sit down by the campfire, placed a huge tiger head on the small case in front of him, and said with an envious smile: "This fierce thing It was Boshan you hunted with your own hands. Such a mighty and brave deed always needs something to commemorate, so I specially left this tiger head, and I will find a skilled craftsman to make it in the future. It can be passed down to future generations, so that future generations can see it and remember it. , recalling the heroic demeanor of our ancestors and maintaining the strong family tradition!”
Li Tai was greatly moved when he heard this. Although he doesn't even have a wife now, let alone offspring, it doesn't hinder his imagination. When I really grow up in the future, I conquer the Southern Dynasties, and pass down this tiger head together with the national jade seal. Thinking about it makes people feel passionate.
He looked at the tiger head carefully and appreciated it again, and then stored it in a wooden box.
At this time, the tiger rack that had been roasted for a long time was also served on a large lacquer plate. The thick and huge skeleton is placed on the lacquer plate, and you can still get a glimpse of how powerful and majestic it was in life, but now it has been reduced to a meal on the plate.
Li Mu personally cut off the barbecue meat from the frame with a knife, and soon cut a full plate and placed it on Li Tai's table with his own hands.
Li Tai was not polite. He grabbed a meat-cutting knife and poked a piece of it into his mouth. He would never have the chance to eat such a thing in the future. He was also very curious about the taste of tiger meat, let alone hunting it with his own hands. The taste must be sweeter and more delicious.
But as soon as he chewed the tiger meat, his expression suddenly froze. He quickly spit it out and held it in his hands. Then he looked at it carefully by the light of the campfire. He was sure it was barbecued meat, but the taste was indescribable. He chewed it in his mouth. The taste is dry and tough, and the dry glue is generally hard and tasteless.
"Why, doesn't this taste delicious? I roasted it for two hours after entering the camp. If I put all the delicious condiments on it, I might ruin your hard work, Boshan!"
After seeing this, Li Mu became a little unconfident. He grabbed a piece and threw it into his mouth, chewed it for a few times, and then spit it out. Then he said with embarrassment: "Tiger meat is not a good food. , far less fat and tender than cattle and sheep. I have tried hard, but I don’t think I have gained much. Alas, it is also a problem of fire. Cooking in the countryside is too simple after all..."
Yes, there is a problem with everything, just your craftsmanship. It just depends on how old you are, so it’s hard to start with me. Otherwise, I really want to beat you up and ruin my things!
The tiger meat does not have much flavor, not much oil, and the texture is rough and tough. In addition, Li Mu cooked it improperly and roasted it slowly and slowly to dry out the little oil and moisture, making it as hard as a teething stick.
Li Tai raised his hand to invite everyone to come forward, and each took a piece to grind their teeth. He didn't want to waste the rest, so he asked people to pick it up and take it out to add to the casserole and simmer it carefully. Naturally, he couldn't eat it tonight, so he could only use it to cook and barbecue. venison snack.
Li Mu failed to show off his skills. Although he still wanted to be strong, he probably felt guilty in his heart, so he sat down at the same table with Li Tai and specially divided the barbecue for him.
Halfway through the meal, the loud chirping of carvings suddenly sounded in the camp. Then Li Tai remembered that a visitor had come before the song was played. He picked up a piece of cake and wiped the grease on his hands. While chewing the cake, he asked: " Where will the guest be accommodated? Let’s meet him.”
Soon, the soldiers led a dozen strong soldiers to the campfire, and only let their leader, a short and stocky middle-aged man, pass in front of them.
"Liu Chang'an, the garrison commander of Diaoxi Fort, a subordinate of Diaoyin County, pays homage to Governor Li!"
The middle-aged man walked to the front. When his eyes fell on the huge tiger skeleton, his eyes suddenly froze. When he reacted, he hurriedly kowtowed.
"Liu Chang'an? What is the relationship between the great tycoon Liu Kang and you?"
Li Tai put down the half-eaten noodle cake and took a look at the middle-aged man. He saw that although he wore Chinese robes and was respectful, his voice and appearance were slightly different from those of a real Han Chinese. And this man is indeed not a Han tyrant, but the Jihu chieftain in Diaoyin.
After hearing this, Liu Chang'an paused and said: "It's an honor for the name of my father's hometown to be known to the governor. How dare I praise him in front of the governor? He just cultivated the countryside and occasionally helped the poor, and the villagers praised him..."
"Help the people in need, this is not an empty boast. I have heard about your father's fame and deeds. Even King Hao Ren, the leader of the Blackwater pirates who fled last year, dared to take him in. It's no wonder that the villagers who have to judge right and wrong are spreading rumors about your family. Righteous reputation!”
Li Tai sneered when he heard this. In the battle at Bai Yushan last year, people and horses from three states joined forces to suppress the Heishui Hu tribe, killing and capturing tens of thousands of Ji Hu. However, when the results were counted, the man who was chasing Li Tai was missing. The most powerful Hu chieftain, King Hao Ren.
Last year, when the New Year was approaching, Li Tai was driven to the upper reaches of Luoshui River by Daxingtai to garrison. When he was carefully sorting out the personnel in this area, he accidentally learned that King Hao Ren was hiding in the Liu clan of Diaoyinhu.
It's just that Li Tai had too many things to deal with after returning to this place. In addition, after several Hui left the town and returned to the government, although his cousin Cui Quan took over as the governor of Beihua Prefecture, the armed forces in Beihua Prefecture were mainly composed of prefecture, county and township regiments. However, the self-defense ability is still good, but the ability to attack externally has been sharply reduced, so Li Taicai has not taken any substantive action against the barbarians in Diaoyin yet.
After all, Yuwentai has clearly limited his activities to the territory of Dongxia Prefecture. It would be a bit disrespectful to the boss if he went to wander elsewhere to look for trouble before his butt was still hot.
Moreover, Diaoyin Hu was different from Heishui Hu in that he was poor and powerful. His family had a big business. As Li Dao said before, each of them was richer than the princes, which had great united front value.
At least since the unification, the Hu tribes in Diaoyin have not launched any turmoil to challenge the authority of the Bafu, and many Hu chieftains have accepted the official position of governor granted by the Bafu.
For example, the father of Hu Chief Liu Changan, Liu Kang, once served as the governor of Diaoyin County in the early years of Datong. In fact, there was no Diaoyin County in the official administrative structure of the Western Wei Dynasty, at least not yet.
In order to avoid intensifying conflicts and causing disturbances among the Diaoyinhu tribes, Li Tai also adopted an attitude of restraining and cooperating. After entering the country, they sent a message to the Hu tribes in Diaoyin and invited some Hu chiefs to discuss the construction of a Buddhist temple in the name of building a Liu Shifo temple in Luochuan.
With this opportunity to release goodwill, the Hu chiefs of the Diaoyin Hu tribes also welcomed Li Tai's arrival, and the framework of the Luochuan Temple was gradually built with the efforts of the Hu tribes. It was during the interaction with Zhuhu that Li Tai learned that King Hao Ren was still born in the Liu tribe.
He did not choose to attack immediately, but in the name of building a temple, he summoned the Hu chieftain Liu Kang again. He had already sent someone to summon him in April. Now it was already the beginning of July, and Liu Kang sent one of his sons to see him. It shows that he is arrogant.
But it also shows that various tasks have been so effective in the past few months after Li Tai entered the country that the originally arrogant and rude chief Hu felt the pressure and did not dare to be arrogant anymore. He was still hunting while Li Tai On the way, he sent his son to pursue him and ask for an audience.
When Liu Changan heard this, he paused and said: "This is really unjust. I don't know where a bad person made such evil talk to frame me. How dare our department... I sincerely ask the Governor to listen to my own defense. Since entering the country, the Governor has asked all the people , instead of being mean and far-sighted, he is more able to correct the teachings, personally take on the responsibility of serving the Buddha and worshiping the Lord, and build a Buddhist teaching place. The people in our department are also deeply aware of the great governor's benevolence and righteousness!"
Master Liu was originally a great ascetic who was widely believed among Jihu people. Although the imperial court's previous destruction of obscene rituals did not seriously affect the northern states where Jihus were densely distributed, some well-informed Jihus felt deeply humiliated and angry after hearing the news. .
Li Tai once severely punished the Heishui Hu tribes and was considered a notorious figure among the Jihu tribes, but now he openly supported the Jihu people's beliefs and even took the initiative to build a large temple for Master Liu.
This act of zealously safeguarding Jihu's faith also quickly changed his reputation among the Jihu tribes.
Even such a strong general of the Western Dynasty, who took pleasure in torturing people, could be enlightened and repented by Master Liu, which shows the profoundness and greatness of Master Liu's Buddhist power. Even some tribes began to spread rumors that Master Liu could not bear to see his family members being brutally killed, so he personally came down to earth to kill this man. The demon who is keen on killing Hu was enlightened and adopted as a Vajra God General to protect the Dharma.
Therefore, the construction of the big temple has not yet been completed, but in the eyes of some Hu people, Li Tai has shared and exaggerated the sacred glory of Master Liu, and they are quite superstitious about it.
Although the Liu clan is located among the mountains in the western border of Diaoyin and is not under the command of the Luochuan Defense Force, as this trend took shape, some Hu tribes learned that the Liu clan actually sheltered the master and the Buddha. Queen Hao Ren, who was her enemy, gradually kept away from her.
After noticing this change in the atmosphere, Chief Liu Kang sent his son to pay a visit to the Grand Governor after several considerations. He also took a look at his power and then considered how to deal with him.